A Day In Marrakesh In Pictures

Home to the busiest square in Africa and the world’s most beautiful doors, Marrakesh is an old realm where fantasy and reality never find a divide. The medievalmedina, with its red fortified walls and tiny alleys, houses a community of snake charmers, fortune-tellers, and herbal-potion masters that bring Arabian legends to life. We spent a whole day roaming across the city’s many souqs to discover the charms of this fascinating town.

Set in the heart of town, the Ali Ben Youssef medrasa is an old Islamic school where young boys used to learn Qur’an. You can still visit the tiny dormitory cells that lean towards this exquisite courtyard carved in cedar, marble and stucco.

Can you see the smoke in the air? Close your eyes and you will be able to smell the scent of cumin wafting through the air. An oasis among the spices at the old souq, we found this quirky shop, whose owner introduced us to the magic of natural healing powders.

As we made our way through the city’s red alleyways, we stumbled upon one of Morrakesh’s most exquisite doors. Decorated with ceramics, wood and marble, Morocco’s doors are unmatched anywhere in the world.

Entering a Riad, the traditional Moroccan house built around a central courtyard, seems like taking a step into “One Thousand and One Nights.”

Unlike the traditional mint tea drunk all over Morocco, Berber tea is filled with all kinds of herbs, which are heated in small silver teapots and then poured into these graceful tiny teacups.

Jemaa el-Fna square represents the heart of medieval Marrakech in Morocco, where teams of snake charmers play rhaita flutes to mesmerize their captive cobras.

Ginger, turmeric, and cumin are among Morocco’s favorite spices for cooking. But it’s not all powder in Marrakesh’s souq: the wool market, the copper market, the silver and the cosmetic souk cater to every need.

A shelter from the desert sun, the souq’s alleys are covered by a wooden roof that perpetuate the city’s magical allure.

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About the author

A journalist, a globetrotter and a determined idealist, Valentina left Argentina in 2010 to study Cooperation for Peace in Rome. But ever since she took on the road, she realized that traveling is a disease without a cure --a disease that saves your life. Since 2012, she lives in Cairo, where she works as a journalist, and writes in her blog www.valentinaprimo.wordpress.com